I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 51

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Absolute Obedience?”

[That’s correct.]

So the reality I was avoiding had something to do with Absolute Obedience.

But even with that clue, I still couldn’t figure out what it was.

[I believe I’ve given you enough hints. Are you still going to avoid it?.]

The space around me started to distort again.

Confused, I asked,

“Isn’t the Trial already over?”

[What happens now is not part of the Trial. This is simply… my way of helping you, a gesture of pity for your plight.]

Not a Trial, but a way of helping me?

I had no idea what she meant.

Then, a scene began to unfold beyond the swirling colors.

‘What’s this?’

It was the inn room.

But it was different from before.

I was looking at Allen from a third-person perspective.

[Face reality.]

And then Allen started moving.

The first playthrough’s Allen froze in terror before the wolf and died. The second and third playthroughs ended the same way.

From the fourth playthrough onwards, he had avoided the wolf altogether. But he was killed by the bandits who raided the inn.

It was all… familiar.

It was an exact replica of Allen Pleak’s first four playthroughs, the ones I had personally played through.

The playthroughs continued.

He was killed by the Demon King who attacked the village.

He was killed by bandits on the way to Basilium.

Back then, I had simply found Allen’s incompetence frustrating. It had never occurred to me that there was something… strange about it.

He rarely followed my instructions, but in his own way, he seemed to be growing with each playthrough.

‘Of course, with his abysmal talent, he could never become a hero.’

I watched as Allen lived and died, again and again, all the way to his 100th playthrough.

The 100th playthrough’s Allen had tried his best.

He was probably the closest to my current self, out of all the Allens I had witnessed.

The only difference was… he didn’t have Absolute Obedience.

Well, of course, they were similar.

I finally accepted the truth I had been denying.

Watching Allen’s habits, his decision-making process, his every action… there was no denying it.

“I admit it. All 100 playthroughs of Allen… it was me all along.”

His frustrating, nonsensical behavior made perfect sense now.

A modern-day city dweller, suddenly thrust into a fantasy world.

Of course, he would freeze in fear at the sight of a wolf.

Violence and killing… of course, he would hesitate, his modern sensibilities clashing with the brutal realities of this world.

“The 100 playthroughs in this Trial… they were the 100 playthroughs of Allen Pleak that I played through, weren’t they?”

[Indeed. And there was one more crucial clue. But you refused to acknowledge it until the very end. It wasn’t just the lack of Absolute Obedience that set them apart, was it?]

“…The inherited Stigmas were different.”

The first and second playthroughs had been coincidences. The same Stigmas had appeared.

Well, not exactly a coincidence. [Rose Emblem] and [Royal Crest] were a common combination for me, regardless of which character I was playing.

But when I got frustrated with Allen’s lack of progress, I had started switching things up, trying different Stigmas, hoping for a better outcome.

Thanks to that, I had figured things out midway through the Trial.

The true nature of these playthroughs.

But I had subconsciously chosen to ignore it.

‘To think… it was me all along.’

A wave of shame washed over me.

But I also understood why the god had said this wasn’t part of the Trial anymore.

‘But this time… I’m different.’

The circumstances were almost identical.

Sure, my Swordsmanship and Power of the Wind skills were more developed.

But the crucial difference was that I, too, lacked Absolute Obedience.

‘Even if I had [Swordsmanship (B+)] back then, I still would have died. Frozen in fear.’

Now, I didn’t need Absolute Obedience.

There were moments when I missed its convenience, but even those moments were becoming less frequent.

I had faced reality.

‘I was that incompetent fool, Allen Pleak. But…’

That reality… it wasn’t all bad.

‘I’ve grown. I’m not that same person anymore.’

From a hopeless idiot… to a slightly less hopeless idiot.

By acknowledging the truth, the reality I had been trying so hard to deny, I could finally see my own progress, my own growth.

The fog in my mind cleared, the questions that had been tormenting me fading away.

The me, the Allen Pleak of those 100 playthroughs, the one without Absolute Obedience… it allowed me to understand something crucial, something I wouldn’t have been able to grasp otherwise.

“I have a question.”

[I’ll answer if I can.]

“How does time flow in this place?”

This was crucial.

If time flowed at the same pace as in the real world, I had to leave the Trial immediately.

I had to get back on track, to resume my plan.

[Of course, time does not flow at the same rate as in reality. In your case, 13 playthroughs took about two days in the real world.]

Two days for four years’ worth of experiences.

That meant the remaining 87 playthroughs would take about a month.

‘A month…’

It was a small price to pay for what I could potentially gain.

“Can I experience the remaining 87 playthroughs?”

[It’s possible. But it won’t be of much use. You won’t retain any specific memories of the events that occur within my Trial.]

That was an unexpected restriction.

But it was better this way. I couldn’t let information from these unique Trials leak out to other players. It would upset the balance of the game.

A thought struck me.

“What about the lessons I learn? Will those be erased as well?”

[No. Only the specific memories of events will fade, like a dream. But your growth, the progress you make within my Trial, will remain.]

That was a relief.

“Then please… send me back to the 13th playthrough.”

[May I ask why?]–

“There’s still… something I need to confirm.”

The God of Reality hesitated for a moment, then replied,

[Very well.]

The world around me dissolved into a kaleidoscope of swirling colors.

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The god’s words were true.

The specific memories of the events within the Trial would fade like a dream.

The only things I could take with me were the lessons I learned and the growth I achieved.

That meant there was only one thing I had to do during these remaining 87 playthroughs.

‘I need to see how far I can take my swordsmanship.’

The Trial was an illusion. I understood that now.

I was no longer clinging to the past.

The Gwen, the Wise, the Elsie of this place…

They weren’t as important as the real ones.

To save them, to protect the people I cared about in the real world… I needed to get stronger.

That was my priority.

So I let go of my regrets, my attachments to this simulated world.

I left for Sak immediately.

I found Libero.

I didn’t need [Authority of the Lodraim Royal Family] this time.

All I needed was the will to learn from him, the burning desire to improve my swordsmanship.

That was enough.

It had been enough when we first met.

When I first approached him, invoking the promise he had made to my ancestor, he hadn’t taken me seriously.

But when I showed him my determination, my unwavering desire to learn from him, he had finally accepted me as his disciple.

And so, I dedicated an entire playthrough to training under him.

The world crumbled around us as the Demon Kings wreaked havoc, but I continued my training, my focus unwavering.

This world… it didn’t matter. It was just an illusion.

The one who surprised me was Libero.

I had assumed, based on my third playthrough, that he would abandon me once the Demon King invasion began.

But he stayed by my side.

A towering tree, watching over a fragile sapling.

He continued to teach me, even as the world around us crumbled.

And he stayed with me in the next playthrough. And the next.

Playthrough after playthrough, I dedicated myself to the sword, honing my skills under his watchful eye.

Finally, I reached the 100th playthrough.

“We meet again,” I said, a wry smile on my face.

The 100th playthrough’s Libero, of course, had no memory of our previous encounters.

But our meeting felt natural now.

After 100 playthroughs, my swordsmanship had reached a level where even a complete stranger like him could sense my mastery.

“How many times have you seen me?” he asked, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

“This is the 100th time.”

It was true. Excluding the first playthrough, where I hadn’t met him, this was our 100th encounter.

“You’re insane. Your swordsmanship is almost on par with mine now. And you’re telling me you still have things to learn from me?”

“I still haven’t surpassed you,” I replied, my voice firm.

It was true. His level of mastery was still beyond my comprehension.

Perhaps it was an unattainable goal.

But I was undoubtedly stronger than the me of the 13th playthrough. And that was all that mattered.

“Follow me, boy.”

And so, for the final playthrough…

I stayed with him.

“I wanted to beat you at least once,” I said.

At the end of every playthrough, I would challenge him to a duel.

My stats were still at their base level; I hadn’t used my SP to upgrade them.

My only weapon was my swordsmanship.

And Libero, suppressing his powers as a Demon King, would always accept my challenge.

The outcome was always the same.

I could never defeat him.

“Our training ends here,” I said, my voice heavy with resignation. I sat there, defeated, watching the world crumble for the 100th time.

The encroaching Chaos, a force of destruction that consumed everything in its path.

No barrier, no relic could withstand it.

It would swallow me soon enough.

“Conviction. That is the most important element in swordsmanship,” Libero said, his voice solemn.

“What?”

“Your swordsmanship… it’s too cautious. Rotate your upper body more, align yourself with your blade. Thrust deeper.”

He smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes.

“You might have been able to graze me, if you had fought with more conviction.”

I stared at him, speechless.

‘Graze him? Me?’

I wanted to test his words, to see if it was truly possible.

But it was too late.

The Chaos was upon us.

“It was a pleasure, boy. If we ever meet again, tell me something.”

His smile was tinged with sadness as he spoke, his gaze fixed on the crumbling world.

“Tell me that you finally understand.”

“Understand what?”

His voice was barely a whisper as the Chaos consumed him, engulfing the world in darkness.

“That the sword is merely a tool. The true essence of swordsmanship… lies in the will of its wielder.”

I wouldn’t be able to relay his final message.

Because the memories of this Trial, of everything I had learned and experienced, were fading, slipping away like a dream.

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